Understanding The FPL Scoring System

By Clinton Courier | April 15, 2022 |

The FPL has so many rules that it’s almost impossible to assimilate them all in one day. All you can do is take them one at a time and digest them. The first thing you want to sort out as a rookie is getting the best sources of predicted lineups premier league.

With that out of the way, your next focus should be understanding the FPL Scoring system. This will help you in choosing your starting lineup. So here’s our guide on the FPL Scoring system.

Minutes played; <60 mins – 1 pt; >60 mins – 2 pts

Every player that appears on the pitch earns one point for appearance. They earn this point even as a substitute who only spends a minute on the field before full-time. If the player spends over 60 minutes on the pitch, however, he earns 2 points, even if he doesn’t stay on for the duration of the game.

Player Scores a goal; GK, DF – 6 pts; MF – 5 pts; ST – 4 pts

Players also earn points for scoring goals during a game. The points earned vary according to their positions, though, with goalkeepers and defenders earning the most. Goalkeepers and defenders earn 6 points for each goal scored, midfielders earn 5 points, and strikers earn 4 points.

Player Assists a goal; 3 pts

When a player in your predicted lineups of the premier league game week assists a goal, he earns 3 points. The way the FPL records assists for players differs from what regular football sites do. The FPL records an assist for a player who had the final touch on the ball before his teammate scored.

It doesn’t matter if the touch or pass was intentional or not. So an inadvertent touch before a goal or a shot that rebounds before leading to a goal on the next touch still counts as an assist.

Clean sheets; GK, DF – 4 pts; MF – 1 pt

A player earns points for a clean sheet if he plays for 60 minutes and his team doesn’t concede until he’s substituted afterward. It doesn’t matter if his team concedes after his substitution. Goalkeepers and defenders receive 4 points for clean sheets, while midfielders earn just one point. Strikers don’t earn points for clean sheets.

Keeper saves a penalty; 5 pts

When a keeper saves a penalty, he receives a whopping 5 points for the effort! Note that this point goes to whoever stands in goal to save the penalty. So if for any reason the goalkeeper was replaced by an outfield player, the outfield player receives the point. Also, the keeper doesn’t earn a point if he doesn’t actually make a save, even if the opposing player misses the penalty.

Keeper saves 3 shots; 1 pt

The Fantasy Premier League also awards points to keepers for every three shots saved. When a keeper makes three saves, he earns 1 point. This can boost a keeper’s point tally if he’s in form, but his team is letting him down. If for example, he makes 9 saves in a match, that’s 3 points in the bag!

Player misses a penalty; –2 pts

A player that misses a penalty suffers psychologically from the miss. And if he’s not mentally strong, it can ruin his performance in that game. In the FPL, missing a penalty is just as disastrous, as it costs him two points. Unless he’s able to pick himself up and produce a top-notch performance, don’t expect a point from him for that game week.

Every two goals conceded; -1 pt

Strikers don’t earn any points if their team wins a clean sheet. So it’s only logical that they don’t suffer if their team concedes. For the goalie and defenders, though, it’s a 1 point deduction for every two goals conceded.

Player scores an own goal; –2 pts

No player wants to be a victim of this I’ll luck. The effect runs even deeper if it costs your team a win or a draw. In the Fantasy Premier League, a player who scores an own goal loses 2 points. Just as with a missed penalty, don’t expect a point from such a player unless he produces a top drawer performance.

Player gets a yellow card: -1 pt

In a football match, yellow cards may not have so much effect on a player, other than it makes him more cautious and less aggressive. In the FPL though, a yellow card is bad news as the player is docked a point for the yellow card.

Player gets a red card; -3 pts

Once a player earns a red card in a game, he is docked 3 points in the FPL. This makes it a major incident to wish against. If a player in your team earns a red card, he’ll most likely cost you more points because he’ll likely not have earned 3 points before he received his marching order.

Captaincy bonus

The captaincy bonus is one of the point-scoring systems that fantasy football players exploit to boost their overall score every game week. The captaincy bonus grants a double score to your selected captain for the game week. Note that if your captain has a negative score, the captaincy bonus still doubles score.

Bonus points for best players in a match

At the end of each game, the best three players receive a bonus of 3 points for the best, 2 points for the second best, and 1 point for the third. These players are chosen for each game, without considering the teams they represent.

Key Takeaway

Now that you understand how players earn points, it should be easier to understand how you arrive at your overall score for each game week. It should also help you choose your team wisely. You should always go for players with more guarantee of earning more points each game week. But don’t expect to always get it right.